Options
The Danube strikes again
Sad to report that Tauck had to make the difficult decision to cancel their ROAM virgin tour today due to low water levels along the Danube. I was told that the tour could not live up to the expectations that Tauck had for its guests due to dry conditions affecting the river.
Glad they told us before we flew out tomorrow.
- full reimbursement
- Option to apply to future trip
- e credit from delta
Would type more, but trying to plan a quick getaway in lieu of this unfortunate news.
0
Comments
Thanks for the update. I'm scheduled for a Tauck river cruise that includes the Danube later this year. I'll keep an eye out for the cancellation letter from Tauck.
Did they return the cost of the cruise protection plan? They canceled our plain old Tauck cruise on the lower Danube and are not returning the cost of protection plan. They did offer option to transfer the protection plan to a new trip but only if you booked a new tour in the next 2 days
Voucher for protection plan.
My wife and I were fortunate to pivot
Tauck cancelled us this morning going west on the Danube for the Romantic Capitals Prague to Paris tour that was to start August 11. There goes a lot of planning down the river!
So sorry to hear that kdimke. I very much appreciate the info. Pretty sure it indicates the Danube issues go beyond just in the East in and around Budapest. Thanks.
News outlets are reporting about the Danube now, its lowest levels ever. Climate change.
Does anyone have any information on how Tauck is handling its danube cruise going on now
I called Tauck today today. our danube cruise from Prague to Budapest is set to leave on 8-16. I asked Tauck what if any changes or cancellations are taking place on the Danube Cruise scheduled for THIS WEEK. they told me they had NO INFORMATION to proivide me as to what is going on with the cruise this week. That's certainly not true.
Bookers, we have friends on a Viking tour currently, who have indicated a lot of changes, also very HOT -104 in Vienna today. They have bussed and tour has changed from moment to moment. Quite the adventure. Hubby and I have decided no more cruising, gonna go see Redwoods and Yosemite in October. Good Luck.
Bookety: That’s disappointing. A Munich-Budapest cruise was scheduled to depart yesterday on the Danube, so somebody knows *something." Perhaps the phone reps are not being given relevant information, but the lack of transparency is really a concern.
For a date 2 weeks out I don't suppose determinations are being made right now.
We just returned from a Tauck Danube tour. It was hard but Tauck did a remarkable job to make up for the loss of ship time. We started in Prague and stayed in a hotel for 3 nights. We left on the day scheduled but could not coach to the intended departure point in Germany. We were on the bus much longer than we planned. That arrival was a mess. Just before dinner was served. We were not given time to change and allowed to wear travel shorts, etc. Then we had 6 great nights on the ship, Joy. Wonderful cabin, crew, tour guides. Then the bad news was we had to get off the ship 3 day early and coached to Budapest. Tauck did everything in their power to make the trip wonderful. Great hotel in Budapest, picked up our bar tabs, gave us $$$ for meals and included a very special night cruise on the Danube that is not to be missed. BUT we lived out of suitcases again for 3 days. That is one of the nicest things about a river cruise is that you unpack into generous closets and really can relax. We did all the Tauck tours in Budapest but the heat is a killer. Gorgeous venues with no AC makes for a grumpy evening. I would travel Tauck again, but never summer in Europe. If it's still this hot be happy if you get a chance to reschedule.
We leave from San Francisco on August 25 for the Aug 28 cruise down the Danube and called reservations to see if it is going to be canceled? No response🙄they said they were doing rain dance. We need to pivot on our airline reservation, but need Tauck to be honest. Has anyone been told if the August 10th or 17th Danube trips have been canceled?
They are too far ahead to predict. It could rain buckets before then
Good luck with that…
Rawley: As you may know, the chance of sufficient rain in the month of August is very slim. We are scheduled a couple of days after you, and I have no desire to live out of a suitcase on a bus. This is an extraordinary drought, requiring extraordinary measures by Tauck, including IMO the acceptance of cancellation within a reasonable time.
It would have to be a LOT of rain. When it does rain, a lot will soak into the ground at first. Then what runoff they get will have to work it's way to the rivers. It's going to take some time before the rivers get sufficiently up to start running cruise river boats again.
I expect it will get canceled, I would hope sooner than later to give us time to pivot on airline reservations
This is based on a post on another outside forum regarding the Avalon "Danube Dreams" cruise departing August 15 from Budapest heading west. Communication from Avalon outlined each change to the itinerary, and offered a 50% "rebate" for the cruise. It also offered the opportunity to discuss cancellation with a representative.
Does that mean cash or a voucher for future travel? Does cancelation mean returning the cost of the tour, a percentage of the cost or a voucher?
I'll quote from the letter as reproduced in the comment:
"While these circumstances are out of Avalon’s control, we understand the inconvenience these changes cause and regret that adjustments to your itinerary have become necessary.
As a result, we would like to offer you a 50% refund of the cruise-only price you paid (including stateroom upgrades), made to your original form of payment.
For any optional excursions you have pre-paid, which we are not able to operate, you will be refunded to your original form of payment."
According to the commenter, "I opted to cancel and get a full refund. "
Note again that I'm quoting from material posted in another forum, not from personal experience.
In response to Rawley: My understanding is that the August 10 departure (Blue Danube) is running, but with modifications and the Aug 10 cruise participants have been given the option of cancelling.
Thank you for the updates, please keep them coming. I am scheduled to leave September 12th for 2 nights in Budapest and then going on the Blue Danube tour. I made this reservation about 18 months ago. Praying it goes!
I am also on this time period Sept 15 to 26 but in the opposite direction, Prague to Budapest, and now wondering what will happen. I specifically selected this tour to avoid the bus and hotel changes which are fine if that is the expectation going in (like my Scotland trip with Tauck). I was looking forward to unpacking once, relaxing, and enjoying the day adventures. I would prefer a tour cancellation rather than deal with a hybrid bus/boat cruise as that is not what I signed up for $$$$. All I can think of now is to pack super light, carry-on only, and mentally prepare for the bus. It makes no sense once the trip starts to poison the well with negative emotions, but really looking to Tauck to do the right thing here.
I was on a Tauck Rhine River cruise that couldn't complete the entire itinerary on the river, but the boat was used as a hotel and we took daily excursions by bus. So no packing issues. It was a high water event and Tauck did make it right. I cannot imagine what the logistics and planning people are going through right now, along with all the travelers having their plans go awry.
You know, I was always concerned that Tauck would pull out of land tours in Europe because the river cruises have become so popular and so much easier for them to plan. So few hotels to negotiated with etc. The impact on their business mist be huge. Despite Viking and others having more ships, I assume by now they are having cancelation issues too..
I wonder if going forward, the land tours are going to be full next year. Maybe people who have only taken river cruises in Europe will see how much more you see on land tours compared to river cruises. For us, seeing more of the country far out outweighs the inconvenience of bus rides and hotel changes. I do hope prices don’t go up even more to compensate for the loss of revenue this year.
I agree with British. You see way more on land tours. I use packing cubes, so packing and unpacking isn't a problem.
I agree with you both - I much prefer land tours. With a river cruise, you almost never spend the night in a city, so you're limited to what you can really see.
But the trade-off exists. With a river cruise, you unpack once. With a land tour, you're moving hotels about every two days. For some people, perhaps as we all get older, being able to settle in on a boat and relax is what a segment of the customers wants.
If it gets too chancy to take a river cruise (because of water levels), there’s always ocean cruising.
I’m cube person
You would never get us on a big cruise ship